Page 91 of Death on Gallows Path

Leo kept after us all to give the command with authority.

“Need to make an impact with your voice. Your dog needs to have no doubt. This is the voice you use to keep your dog from eating poison or disemboweling a chipmunk.”

That drew ews from several of us, including me.

Next, the owner was supposed to get the dog’s focus and keep it, while giving sit, down, stay, by me commands.

I had severe focus envy when Oscar and Quasar had their turn. She looked at him as if the rest of the world disappeared.

Leo called Gracie and me up to follow that.

Gracie got the commands. The focus? Not so much.

Her head swiveled everywhere but at me.

“You have to work with your dog’s breed — or breeds — and the individual pup. For example, rough collies like Gracie are sentries, attuned to any potential intrusion on their flock.”

It was like Leo heard Lassie Syndrome angst brewing in my head and knew the antidote for it.

“But do work at home on focus,” he finished as we sat down.

The truth is all of us focused most on Pammy and Zoley, neither of whom showed much interest in the exercises.

And yet, the two women did not provide the most memorable moment of the class.

Layla struggled getting Bernie to sit. Leo directed her to lower her voice to gruff.

That didn’t work. In fact, Bernie took it as an opportunity to break away and bound toward the Bostons. Berrie jumped up as if to defend them.

Leo demonstrated the voice to use with a quick, “Bernie, sit!”

Berrie sat.

* * * *

The only warning outside Zepke’s was from our dogs.

They wagged their tails when a figure emerged from the dark as we reached my car.

Two figures.

One of them was short, cute, and canine.

Quasar.

Quickly followed by Oscar. “Sorry if I startled you.”

We’d emitted small, simultaneous gasps.

Clara gave reassurances that he hadn’t truly startled us.

I didn’t.

He had. And I had a suspicion he might have intended to.

“. . . only because we thought you’d left well before us, and with it being dark right here—”

He cut across Clara’s words. “I did leave before you. Was in my car. On the phone.”